PARACLIMBER
Fran Brown
Age: Not quite 30 @franbrown
2013 HIGHLIGHT:I
Climbing with three fi ngers on one hand and still managing to win three world cups.
IN 5 YEARS:I
New classifi cations for paraclimbing, including a greater range of disabilities. The invention of a bionic leg that enables amputees to stick to the wall by suction, Google glasses for route-fi nding and our fi rst 8a competition route.
IN 25 YEARS:I
Prosthetic arms for amputees and those with hand impairments that’ll stick to the wall like a gecko’s toes. A full-time world cup season and, of course, entry into the Paralympics.
IN 70 YEARS:I
We’ll all be wearing bionic suits and computer eyes, so no one will need to enter paraclimbing competitions, only the main world cup. Alternatively, a greater number of disabilities well represented in a popular sport.
SPORT CLIMBER
Steve McClure
Age: 43 @stemac5a
2013 HIGHLIGHT:I
Making a fl uke ascent of Batman (9a/+), and then inventing my secret antigravity device – though I haven't quite got it working.
IN 5 YEARS:I
Maybe 9c; maybe not. We won't have 10a: progression in any sport slows, and the periods between jumps get bigger.
IN 25 YEARS:I
Sport climbing will become huge with the advent of suction bolts: no more drilled placements are needed, but every trad route becomes a sport route. We'll be into the 10s as 8C boulder problems are linked together, but the main advancement will be carbon-fi bre prosthetic hands and fi ngers. Just like chalk changed the game, false hands will be the next step – will you embrace them or be part of the retro ‘real-hand gang’?
IN 70 YEARS:I
Everyone will have their brain plugged into a worldwide computer network called 9a.old. Virtual and real ascents will immediately update your scorecard. We’ll all know exactly who is the best.
TRAD CLIMBER
James McHaffi e
Age: 33 @McHaffi eJames
2013 HIGHLIGHT:I
Climbing Longhope Direct and the Old Man of Hoy in the same weekend.
IN 5 YEARS:I
Many areas in the slate quarries will have fallen down, opening up new areas for development. In the Peak, a last great problem is sent by the Whittakers.
IN 25 YEARS:I
Sea-level rise opens up many new deep-water soloing possibilities. Increased extreme storms strip lichen and moss from the Lake District crags, making them popular again. In the Peak, a last great problem is sent by the Whittakers’ children.
IN 70 YEARS:I
Britain is the new Spain: the fl oods have stopped and droughts are a regular occurrence. Many people climb E13s but still fail on E4s from the 1980s. In the Peak, a last great problem is sent by the Whittakers’ grandchildren.
BOULDERER
Shauna Coxsey Age: 21
@shaunacoxsey 2013 HIGHLIGHT:I
Climbing my fi rst V13. But I learnt so much about competing, projecting and training that I think the biggest highlight could be all the new knowledge. I also didn’t break any bones – a bonus.
IN 5 YEARS:I
Bouldering will be even more popular. Everyone knows it’s the coolest discipline, right? Grades won’t be pushed much further, but the gap in ability between men and women becomes smaller. We fi nally sort out some self-infl ating, super-light bouldering mats.
IN 25 YEARS: YEARS I
Popular boulder problems are sponsored, with tents over them and massive mats permanently underneath. The 9a boulder problem will exist but will be massively debated.
IN 70 YEARS:I
Bouldering won’t exist: everything is virtual. People won’t bother exercising, except for a small group of individuals who sneak out past the universal curfew and fulfi l their desires to climb on rock.
Find out more about the new BMC ambassadors at
www.thebmc.co.uk/ambassadors
SUMMIT#73 | SPRING 2014 | 63
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